SiS Newsletter - September 2011 - A. es.: Jack Black

Jack Black
Actor

Jack Black, well known for his persona in the big screen, is much more relaxed in reality or at least that is the illusion that he projects during the interview. We are sitting with him at the hotel Casa del Mar in Santa Monica. With Jack we had dreamt the action of Poh in the franchise Kung Fu Panda, and in the film School of Rock. His portraits are always a great adventure for the audience. With a fantastic curiosity and a passion to learn Jack has taught himself a few languages as Spanish and French and he confesses trying constantly perfecting his Castilian watching Spanish movies in his original version.

¿Cómo estás? (How are you?)
Bien (Ok) (answer in Spanish)

¿Do you speak Spanish?
A little bit, yes. MI Spanish sometimes is better than my English. What about you?

The same.
Ah very well then we can do the interview in Spanish (he laughs)

Do you like to read in Spanish?
Only the subtitles of the movies when I’m in Mexico or in Spain.

How did you work on your accent? Do you talk a lot with Spanish people?
Yeah well, first I tried to learn as much Spanish as I could, just to get my mouth used to making the shapes that Spanish makes . . . Certain words that I liked to latch onto that makes your mouth do different things like “mia colless”. That’s my favorite day of the week sound. Wednesday. And I like the word “entonces"

Do you practice in front of the mirror with the Spanish accent?
Yeah, always. Lots of mirror time. Not vanity so much, just trying to make myself laugh.

Do you find yourself funny?
Do I find myself funny? At times. I mean, when I make myself laugh then I feel I’m on to something. It’s hard to surprise yourself, that’s how you make yourself laugh. It’s a trick. It’s a conundrum that some people are good at making themselves laugh all the time. {laughing}

What’s the one thing you like most about yourself?
I don’t know (whispers) I don’t know. I guess it’s my cute little button nose. I know that’s not the answer you want. I don’t know what I like about myself.